Bible Love: A Scripture Podcast

Bible Love Podcast
  • 5.0 (35)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

Bible Love is a conversation about scripture between Mary Balfour Van Zandt (priest at Church of the Epiphany in Guntersville, Ala.) and Alan Bentrup (priest at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Keller, Texas).

  1. Oct 29

    Rhoda, Peter, and the Power of Prayer (Acts 12)

    This week we dig into Acts 12, a chapter with a jailbreak, a locked door, and a king struck down, and somehow the thing that stays with us most is prayer. Peter is arrested, chained, and facing execution, while the church gathers in someone’s home and prays through the night. An angel taps him awake, no “peace be with you,” just put on your clothes and go, and the chains fall off. Then the chapter turns almost comic. Peter knocks at the door, a servant girl named Rhoda recognizes his voice, and she is so overjoyed she runs off and leaves him standing in the street. The very people praying for his release decide she is out of her mind. We sit with that gap between asking and actually expecting, and with how grace keeps arriving through the people we are quickest to dismiss. It is Rhoda, the servant, who sees it first, the same way the women saw the empty tomb and Cornelius the outsider said yes before anyone else. The chapter ends with Herod gone and one quiet line: the word of God kept right on growing. Two thousand years later, through a pandemic that birthed this very podcast, it still is. Herod tried to stamp out the church and failed. Plus, Alan learns what a Twilly is. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 13-14 Links mentioned in this episode: - Episcopal Twilly (https://wilsonandbow.com/store-3/episcopal-silk-twilly) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  2. Oct 22

    God Shows No Favorites (Acts 10-11)

    Dr. Tony is back with Mary Balfour, and he brings the hinge of the whole book: Peter and Cornelius. It is the longest story in Acts, and Luke tells it with such care, repeating the visions again and again, because he does not want anyone to miss the point. God is doing something enormous, and he is doing it on purpose. A Roman centurion, a Gentile, an enemy of Israel, turns out to be a man of deep prayer and generosity. Meanwhile Peter is up on a rooftop, hungry, when a sheet full of unclean animals drops from heaven and a voice tells him to eat. He refuses, three times, until the message finally lands: what God has called clean, you must not call profane. The animals were never really the point. The people were. Dr. Tony walks Mary Balfour through how the Holy Spirit works on both ends of this story at once, and how Peter moves from “here is who I am and what I have never done” to “here is who God is and what God has done.” At the center sits the line that holds the entire gospel: God shows no partiality. Or in the older, more literal phrasing, God is no respecter of persons, no accepter of faces. God’s welcome is not based on how we look or talk or dress or even how we believe. We keep trying to make faith about our character when it was always about the character of God, the One who loves and accepts everyone. By chapter 11 the Spirit has fallen on the Gentiles, Peter asks the only honest question left, who was I to hinder God, and in Antioch the followers of Jesus are called Christians for the very first time. A story that is easy to say and hard to live, then and now. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 12 Links mentioned in this episode: - Dr. Tony’s notes on Acts 10-11 (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Acts-10-11.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  3. Oct 15

    Nobody is Beyond God’s Reach (Acts 8-9)

    This week we keep moving through the Book of Acts, landing on chapters 8 and 9, two stories that together say something radical: nobody is outside the reach of God’s love. Not the outsider, and not the enemy. First comes Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, a man who was both a racial and a sexual minority, welcomed and baptized on a desert road. This is the moment the gospel breaks past Jerusalem and the Jewish community and starts heading for the ends of the earth. Every non-Jewish Christian today traces back through that act of welcome. Then comes Saul, a man who approved of killing Christians, knocked off his horse and remade into the church’s greatest missionary. His story, and the courage of Ananias and Barnabas who dared to receive him, becomes a picture of reconciliation strong enough to hold hope even for those the world has written off as the worst of the worst. Along the way the conversation turns honest about the modern church: the fear of people who are different, the reflex to cancel over disagreement, and the temptation to lean on titles and resumes rather than our true identity as one simply belonging to Jesus. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 10-11 Links mentioned in this episode: - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  4. Oct 8

    Waiting Tables and Speaking Truth

    Today we’re joined by The Rev. Sara Ardrey-Graves, Associate Dean of Spiritual and Professional Formation at the School of Theology at Sewanee. We turn to Acts 6-7, the calling of the first deacons, and the story of Stephen, the church's first martyr. It begins with a very practical crisis. Widows are being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, and the community has to figure out how to share the work. From there the conversation moves to Stephen himself, who serves quietly, without seeking attention, and then stands before the council and speaks the truth no matter the cost. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 8-9 Links mentioned in this episode: - The Rev. Sara Ardrey-Graves (https://theology.sewanee.edu/faculty-staff/sara-ardrey-graves-3/) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  5. Oct 1

    The Cost of Discipleship

    Today we’re joined by the Rev. Rob St. Germain-Iler, Associate Rector with Mary Balfour at  Church of the Epiphany. We talk about pressure to keep up with everyone else's generosity, a hunger to look holy, and what the fear that swept the church afterward tells us about the cost of honesty in community. Fr. Rob brings a startling real-world parallel from prison ministry, including Christian gangs with serious requirements for membership and one unforgettable "Christian Ninja" who evangelized through sheer intimidation. It leads somewhere genuinely moving: a former gang member who met Jesus behind bars and turned the very tactics that once served fear into tools for the gospel. From there the chapter turns to the apostles themselves, arrested, flogged, and ordered to stop, who walk away rejoicing and keep right on preaching. Mary shares her grandmother's charge to keep serving God no matter your age or your circumstances, and the group sits with a theme that only intensifies from here as the story of Stephen comes into view: following Jesus has always asked for courage, and it has never promised it would be easy. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 6-7 Links mentioned in this episode: - The Rev. Rob St. Germain-Iler  (https://www.epiphanyguntersville.org/our-story-1) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  6. Sep 24

    Do Right and Risk Consequences (Acts 3-4)

    We continue through Acts of the Apostles this week, working through chapters 3 and 4 as one continuous scene: a healing that leads to a sermon, a sermon that draws a crowd, and a crowd that lands the church in front of the authorities for the very first time. It starts at the temple gate, where Peter and John, still keeping the Jewish hour of prayer, meet a man who has been begging there for forty years. He asks for money. Peter has none to give, but offers something the man never thought to ask for, healing in the name of Jesus. From there Alan and Mary Balfour dig into a theme that runs through both chapters: Peter refuses to take the credit and points every eye back to Jesus, a sharp contrast to a world full of people happy to claim the spotlight for themselves. Then the tone shifts. Peter's talk of resurrection rattles the Sadducees, the apostles are arrested, and the religious leaders find themselves amazed that these ordinary, unschooled men will not stop speaking. When the believers gather to pray, they don’t ask for safety or wisdom. They ask for boldness. We sit with what that kind of courage costs, and Alan closes with a line from Sam Houston about risking the consequences that captures the whole thing. As always, remember that we love you, but most importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 5 Links mentioned in this episode: - Narrative Project Storytelling Fellows (https://thenarrativeproject.org/fellows) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  7. Sep 10

    Acts 2: Pentecost, The Holy Spirit, & Radical Community

    Today we’re joined by the Rev. Dorian Del Priore as we dive into Acts 2. When we think of Pentecost, we often imagine dramatic pyrotechnics, wind, and tongues of fire. But what if the real miracle of Acts 2 wasn't just the spectacle, but the radical community transformation that followed? Join us as we explore how the early church navigated growth, conflict, and genuine fellowship…and why modern churches might need to step away from over-programming and get back to the basics of eating together, sharing stories, and loving one another. Readings for next week: Acts 3 Links mentioned in this episode: - The Rev. Dorian Del Priore (https://www.holycrossep.org/staff/the-rev-dorian-del-priore/) - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

  8. Sep 3

    The Acts of God (and Some Confused Apostles)

    Today we’re joined by Dr. Tony as we dive into the Acts of the Apostles. Consider this your field guide before the road trip from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Turns out the first Christians didn’t know they were Christians. The word shows up exactly twice in the whole New Testament, both times in Acts, and those early believers still thought of themselves as Jews who happened to believe the Messiah had shown up. Dr. Tony walks us through why that ambiguity matters, why Luke quietly wrote a third of the New Testament, and why the book might just as easily be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit, or the Acts of God. Then it is straight into chapter one: the ascension as the world's best movie sequel recap, a church of 120 that should make every pastor breathe easier about attendance, the disciples asking exactly the wrong question at exactly the wrong moment, and the very first order of business, replacing Judas by casting lots. Along the way there is honest talk about division, barriers that do not fall easily, and the stubborn good news that we are not the first people to try to mess this operation up. As always, remember that we love you, but more importantly, God does. Readings for next week: Acts 2 Links mentioned in this episode: - Dr. Tony’s notes on the Acts of the Apostles (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Introduction-to-Acts-Acts-1.pdf) - Dr. Tony’s notes the First Century Church (https://www.stmartininthefields.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/First-Century-Christianity.pdf) - How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, by Gordon Fee (https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-read-the-bible-for-all-its-worth-dr-douglas-stuart/) - Check us out on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@biblelovepodcast)

See All (268)

5
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

Bible Love is a conversation about scripture between Mary Balfour Van Zandt (priest at Church of the Epiphany in Guntersville, Ala.) and Alan Bentrup (priest at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Keller, Texas).

Information

You Might Also Like